Portugal go into their second Euro 2012 Group B game against Denmark knowing it’s do-or-die time if they wish to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals of the tournament.
Paulo Bento’s Portugal side, led on the pitch by Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo (20/1 Euro 2012Top Goalscorer), lost out 1-0 to Germany in the opening match on Saturday, while the Danes’ shock win against one of the pre-tournament favourites, Holland, has only served to heap more pressure on them ahead of the 5pm kick-off in Lviv.
The Portuguese have fallen out of form at just the wrong time as they are yet to taste victory in 2012 with no wins in four matches, while they have only scored once in that time.
Bento will hope striker Hugo Almeida recovers from a bout of ‘flu in time to possibly replace Helder Postiga in attack following his lacklustre display against the Germans.
Winger Ricardo Quaresma has been passed fit after overcoming a leg muscle strain so the Portuguese should have more options available to them for the match.
Euro 92 winners Denmark, who were the least-fancied to progress from Group B, know another win (3/1) will see them virtually book their place in the last eight (10/11 To Qualify).
Morten Olsen’s side were harshly disregarded as the whipping boys of the group going into the tournament when you consider that they finished as group winners when up against Portugal in both Euro 2012 and 2010 World Cup qualifying.
The Danes have also won seven of their last nine games, including a 2-1 qualifying win against the Portuguese last October, so the 1-0 win against the Dutch on Saturday finally made many sit up and take notice of them.
Olsen is boosted by the ability to name an unchanged side from that game against Holland and he will be hopeful that they can secure the win required to make it two wins from two games.
Denmark also have an Indian sign over the Portuguese as they have won three of their previous five meetings in as many years, while midfielder Michael Krohn-Dehli (9/1 First or Last Goalscorer) is the man to watch as the team have won all five internationals he has scored in.
Despite Ronaldo (5/4 Anytime Goalscorer) being Portugal’s talisman, it is Manchester United’s Nani who could hold the key as he has scored three times in four outings against the Danes.
It is certain to be a close game, but with Portugal seemingly up against it going into the showdown, we feel they will finally show why the likes of Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger tipped them to be the tournament’s dark horses.
Prediction: Portugal To Win 90 Minutes @ Evens
Value Bet: Nani to Score 1st Portugal To Win 2-1 Scorecast @ 40/1
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победы в предстоящем матче. Но играть против хозяев чемпионата всегда нелегко. Тем более, что для поляков эта игра становится практически решающей, так как ни ничья, ни тем более поражение, их не устраивает.
Greece managed to battle their way back from a goal and a man down to secure a draw with Poland in their opening Euro 2012 fixture but, ahead of their second game against the Czech Republic on Tuesday, the valuable point came at a cost.
Having thrashed the Czech Republic in their opening game at Euro 2012, Russia look like a tough proposition for any team and it will be the job of co-hosts Poland to try and stop them in Warsaw on Tuesday (Poland 12/5, draw 9/4, Russia 5/4 Match Betting).
Co-hosts Ukraine take on Sweden in the second Group D match on Monday night with the support of the whole nation behind them. They are slight favourites to win this one but the Swedes have a habit of upsetting the odds (Ukraine 6/4, Draw 9/4, Sweden 2/1 – Match Betting).
Injury-hit England go into Euro 2012 with reduced expectations but will still be under the microscope when they face France in their Group D opener in Donetsk on Monday (England 2/1, Draw 11/5, France 6/4).
не так и нужен. Почему я так говорю? Именно из-за того, что на Евро интересные матчи начинаются уже с группового этапа, а не с серии плей-офф. Вот и сейчас испанцы сразятся с итальянцами уже на групповой стадии.
Defending champions Spain begin the defense of their European crown when they take on an out-of-sorts Italian side in Gdansk on Sunday (Spain 4/5, draw 5/2, Italy 4/1 – Match Betting).
на следующие группы. А в них, хочу я вам сказать прямо, с первого тура наступает плей-офф. Это последний турнир на котором Чемпионат Европы будет представлен 16-ю командами. Уже со следующего турнира на Евро будет приезжать по 24-е команды. Хорошо это, или плохо, покажет время, но нынешний формат почти не оставляет места для «проходных» встреч, а следовательно нужно играть на 110% с первых туров.
The Republic of Ireland get their Euro 2012 campaign underway against Croatia on Sunday (Ireland 13/5, Croatia 6/5, draw 11/5 Match Prices). Fixtures against Spain and Italy follow and so they will probably need to take all three points from this one to stand any chance of reaching the quarter-finals.